You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?

"Duanmu Yan? You've come again."

"How is it? Have you found the Seventeenth Prince?"

"My forces of Eternal Night Mountain have already helped you enough, if you can't find the Seventeenth Prince, there's nothing that can be done."

"After all, the Seventeenth Prince is the Main Hall Master's personal disciple."

"Have we not helped enough already in the stead of the Heavenly Venerate?"

At this moment, each Peak Master was communicating with one another through Divine Thought.

The stance of the Eternal Night sect towards the Demon Clan was mostly non-hostile, yet they were not necessarily willing to become lackeys of the Demon Clan, especially the Peak Masters.

"The Peak Masters need not concern themselves," Duanmu Yan transmitted his voice, "This old man is here solely to see the Heavenly Venerate."

Having said this, he flew towards the highest part of the Eternal Night Sky.

Under the watchful eyes of the various Peak Masters, Duanmu Yan quickly flew to the highest point of Eternal Night and shortly after, a massive celestial gate swirling with golden light opened up, allowing Duanmu Yan to fly through it.

They all knew that this was the place where the founder of Eternal Night Mountain — the Eternal Night Venerable — resided.

After Duanmu Yan flew into the massive portal, he arrived in a vague Chaos, where everything was indistinct.

"Heavenly Venerate," Duanmu Yan respectfully said.

Although he did not know which Proving Great Power this Eternal Night Venerable actually was, he must surely be a prominent figure of the Human Clan, and definitely not a Star Lord.

Importantly... the Heavenly Demon Ancestor also placed great trust in the Eternal Night Venerable.

"Duanmu Yan."

A vast and grand voice echoed, as if the whole world was trembling, "Have you located the Seventeenth Prince?"

"I've found a clue."

Duanmu Yan respectfully said, "Today, the Xiahong clan's greedy Prince Xun took Tian Ku Bodhisattva and several dozen Great Cultivators to Primordial Mountain, they found the granddaughter of the Ninth Prince, but now they all seem to have died. From the current clues, the person that Yama Lord encountered at the Avoiding Summer Inn that day might have been the Seventeenth Prince and the granddaughter of the Ninth Prince."

He paused, then continued, "The death of greedy Prince Xun has occurred without finding the sinner; it's unlikely that the deed was done by Prince Tian Xuan, nor does it make sense for other Saint level powerhouses to kill a Commandery Prince so directly."

"That Seventeenth Prince is in possession of a Divine Artifact and has mastered the Heavenly Reversal Path, he also has the power to do so."

"So... it's possible that it was the Seventeenth Prince."

Duanmu Yan said, "Of course, that's assuming the Seventeenth Prince is indeed a person whose fate is difficult to conjecture."

The grand voice as vast as the heavens sounded again, "The Seventeenth Prince must certainly be a person whose fate is difficult to conjecture. I have used the Heavenly Dao to divine, and unless it's an existence that has Transcended Heaven and Earth, I should be able to deduce some traces. Yet, for this Great Cultivator, I could not deduce even the slightest clue. If he is not a person whose fate is difficult to conjecture, then what is he?"

Duanmu Yan lowered his head slightly and said, "Duanmu does not doubt the Heavenly Venerate, but... it's truly hard to imagine a Xiahong clan Prince would be such a person."

"The existence of this Seventeenth Prince must relate to the Crown Prince and the Second Prince," said the grand voice, "Once he is found, all will be revealed naturally."

Duanmu Yan nodded slightly.

He was aware that although this Heavenly Venerate was great enough to use the Heavenly Dao, due to this, he was also being watched by the Crown Prince and hence it was utterly impossible for him to act.

At most, he would deduce something through the Heavenly Dao.

Yet...

When faced with a person whose fate was difficult to conjecture, not even the Eternal Night Venerable with the ability to Prove, nor even the truly invincible Crown Prince within the Great Yong Realm, could do anything about it.

"Just now, Duanmu had already gone to Primordial Mountain, but he did not find the Seventeenth Prince; it seems he has already left."

Duanmu Yan said, "However, with the clue of the Ninth Prince's granddaughter, if we continue to investigate, there may be discoveries to be found. I ask for the Heavenly Venerate's help in locating Prince Tian Xuan, who is the eldest son of the Ninth Prince, and the biological father of Hong Xi, another important clue."

"Prince Tian Xuan?" the grand voice said, "No need to search for him, that Xiahong Wuyuan is at Eternal Night Mountain."

"Xiahong Wuyuan is with Eternal Night Mountain?"

Duanmu Yan's eyes lit up, and upon reflection, it seemed rather normal.

After all, many members of Eternal Night Mountain either disliked the Xiahong clan or the current Great Yong.

Xiahong Wuyuan, as the eldest son of the Ninth Prince, who had suffered the painful experience of his clan's destruction and was hostile towards the other princes, it would be quite normal for him to dislike both the Xiahong clan and Great Yong.

Furthermore, Xiahong Wuyuan was a gifted individual, and it would be normal for Eternal Night Mountain to have selected him.

"Please have the Heavenly Venerate summon that Xiahong Wuyuan."

Duanmu Yan respectfully said, "Perhaps some discovery could be made after Xiahong Wuyuan investigates."

"I have summoned him here," that vast and magnificent voice sounded.

Soon, a slightly disheveled middle-aged man in a white robe appeared in this world shrouded in chaos, with a trace of lingering shock still in his eyes.

"Xiahong Wuyuan, pays respect to the Heavenly Venerate."

Xiahong Wuyuan looked up at the sky and gave a respectful bow.

"Xiahong Wuyuan,"

That voice, vast and grand as the heavens, spoke, "Answer Duanmu Yan's questions, and you may hope for revenge."

Xiahong Wuyuan was slightly taken aback, glanced at Duanmu Yan, and immediately said respectfully, "Yes, Heavenly Venerate."

"Xiahong Wuyuan,"

Duanmu Yan spoke, "Today your daughter was seized by the greed-stricken Prince Xun. Are you aware?"

"I am aware," Xiahong Wuyuan nodded, "but... I suspect that the enemy from the past might take this opportunity to ambush me, so I did not go. If I'm alive, there's a chance my daughter will live. If I went, it would mean a certain death for us both."

He paused, then continued, "I heard that Prince Xun has perished, and even Tian Ku Bodhisattva and dozens of Great Cultivators have vanished without a trace. It seems someone has saved her?"

Although he was a powerful cultivator at the peak, he was not a Peak Master, and even through the information network of Eternal Night Mountain, he could only probe some superficial news.

"Correct."

Duanmu Yan said with an unaffected expression, "That Tian Ku Bodhisattva, Prince Xun, and those dozens of Great Cultivators, were all killed by this old man."

"You?" Xiahong Wuyuan was surprised and then gave a respectful salute, "Many thanks to Elder Duanmu, but... I don't know why Elder has helped me?"

He had also heard that Duanmu Yan had once casually killed important officials of Great Yong without incurring any sin and that even in Di Hong City, the Crown Prince had not moved against Duanmu Yan.

Clearly, a very special case.

Even Princes hardly dared to directly kill a Commandery Prince, incurring such a great sin.

The ones who dared to lay hands on a Commandery Prince directly were only special beings like Duanmu Yan and Star Lords.

So, when Duanmu Yan spoke like this, he naturally believed him somewhat.

"This is a meeting gift from this old man,"

Duanmu Yan lied calmly, "Killing Prince Xun, Tian Ku Bodhisattva, and the others was not a difficult task for me. However, there's a difficult matter... that I'm afraid only you can help me with."

"Elder Duanmu, please speak." Xiahong Wuyuan said.

"Your daughter seems to know a person that my Demon Clan has been searching for a long time." Duanmu Yan said, "I want to use the bloodline connection between you and your daughter to find her and understand some matters."

"My daughter?"

Xiahong Wuyuan frowned slightly, then nodded, "Very well. Elder has avenged such a great enmity for me, Xiahong Wuyuan naturally cannot refuse."

Duanmu Yan nodded in satisfaction.

He could see at a glance that although Xiahong Wuyuan held a certain place in his heart for his daughter, even choosing not to acknowledge her to avoid trouble, from this perspective, he was also quite heartless.

Today his daughter was captured, and he was ready to give up on her just like that.

"Where are you?"

Duanmu Yan said, "I will send an avatar to find you now. Later, activate the Bloodline Secret Technique and meet your daughter in her dream to ask her some questions."

Xiahong Wuyuan replied, "Xiahong Wuyuan is currently in Xuanzhou; Elder may suggest a place, and I will go meet Elder."

"Good," Duanmu Yan nodded.

...

That night.

In the remote Southernmost Land, by the seaside, lay a vast ocean of blood, where the blood-red waters churned gently, marking a Forbidden Land that no one dared enter.

Not far from the Blood Sea, there was a hidden underground palace.

Within a room of the palace, Hong Xi quietly slept.